SAUDI warplanes have been accused of “deliberately” striking Iran’s embassy in Yemen in an air raid that wounded staff, as Iran banned all Saudi Arabian imports.

Network writers and wires

News Corp Australia NetworkJanuary 8, 20167:34am

People inspect the site of a Saudi-led air strike in Sanaa, Yemen. Picture: APSource:AP

SAUDI warplanes have been accused of “deliberately” striking Iran’s embassy in Yemen in an air raid that wounded staff, as Iran banned all Saudi Arabian imports.

“This deliberate action by Saudi Arabia is a violation of all international conventions that protect diplomatic missions,” foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari was quoted as saying by state television.

“The Saudi government is responsible for the damage caused and for the situation of members of staff who were injured,” Ansari added, without specifying when the alleged strike took place.

“The Islamic republic reserves the right to pursue its interests in this matter,” he said.

Often at loggerheads over regional issues, a full-blown split between Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran erupted at the weekend when Riyadh executed prominent Shiite cleric and activist Nimr al-Nimr along with 46 others.

Nimr’s death sparked demonstrations in many countries including Iran, where protesters stormed and set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran as well as the kingdom’s consulate in second city Mashhad.

A Yemeni man inspects the damage at a site hit by Saudi-led air strikes in the capital Sanaa. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in response and was joined by some of its Sunni Arab allies including Bahrain and Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also downgraded relations with Iran while Kuwait and Qatar recalled their ambassadors.

A Saudi-led coalition has waged an air war on Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March and the impoverished nation’s conflict is one of the main sources of dispute between the two regional adversaries.

Also on Thursday, Iran banned all products from Saudi Arabia and said a ban on Iranians travelling to the Saudi holy city of Mecca for the umrah pilgrimage would remain in place “until further notice”.

Yemeni blind and disabled people shout slogans during a demonstration to protest after a centre for the blind was reportedly destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

“The cabinet has banned the entry of all Saudi products and products from Saudi Arabia,” a government statement said.

Iran has also banned the import of goods from Saudi Arabia after the kingdom cut diplomatic ties over attacks on the Saudi embassy following the execution of a Shi’ite cleric.

Iranian state television made the announcement on Thursday.

It said the decision came during an emergency meeting of the cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani.

Annual imports from Saudi Arabia total about $A84.96 million a year and consisted mostly of packing materials and textiles.